Recap: Vermont vs. Illinois State

San Francisco, CA (SportsNetwork.com) - Sandro Carissimo tallied 24 points, five assists and five rebounds as the Vermont Catamounts overcame a double- digit first-half deficit to down the Illinois State Redbirds, 87-76, in the opening round of the Golden Gate Challenge at War Memorial Gymnasium.

Carissimo shot 6-of-7 from 3-point range for Vermont (2-5), while Clancy Rugg also had a big night with 21 points. Brian Voelkel logged 12 points and nine assists, while Hector Harold came off the bench to score 11 points.

For Illinois State (1-4), Zach Lofton led the way with 19 points, while Daishon Knight (12 points), John Jones (11) and Bobby Hunter (10) rounded out the double-digit scorers.

The Redbirds appeared to have the game well in hand early on, as they shot a lofty 55.2 percent from the field in the first half and carried a 43-31 lead into intermission.

Illinois State led by 10 midway through the second half when Vermont caught fire, as it ripped off a 33-11 run to take control. After making just 40 percent of their field goal tries in the opening 20 minutes, the Catamounts improved to nearly 66 percent shooting after halftime, including a 9-of-13 showing from 3-point range.

Vermont held slight advantages in both the rebounding (30-26) and turnover (11-10) battles.